Format of the Test: The test is approximately three hours. The time limit is exact. 80 multiple choice questions - 55 minutes Break
3 Essay Questions: 2 Open Response and 1 DBQ - 2 hrs, 10 mins
Together, the multiple-choice and free-response sections cover political institutions, behavior, and public policy; social change, and cultural and intellectual developments; diplomacy and international relations; and economic developments.
Multiple Choice Multiple Choice will be your biggest challenge. The questions are not asked chronologically. You will be given 5 choices for each question. Generally, there will be two answers that are completely wrong, 1 answer that is plausible and 2 answers that are very good. You must choose the best answer. Page with help on test-taking from 2011 summer program Guide to answering MC Qs
One example: The paternalistic view of slavery held that? A. slavery was a necessary evil that should be phased out as soon as was economically possible. B. slavery was a totally unjustifiable abuse of humanity demanding immediate abolition. C. slavery was an artifact of a more primitive past that would eventually fade out on its own. D. slavery was necessary to keep blacks from developing their superior potential and eventually dominating the white race. E. slavery was necessary to protect blacks from the mistreatment and abuse they would receive if they were freed.
For other examples, click here and use pages 15-24 of the course description (page 24 has the answers to the sample questions (the answer to the question above is E)).
Multiple Choice Question Breakdown:
Time Period Covered - Approximate Percentage of Test
Pre-Columbian to 1789 - 20%
1790 to 1914 - 45%
1915 to the present - 35%
*Whereas the multiple-choice section may include a few questions from the period since 1980, neither the DBQ nor any of the four essay questions in Parts B and C will deal exclusively with this period.
Material Covered - Approximate Percentage of Test
Political institutions, behavior, and public policy - 35%
Social change, and cultural and intellectual developments - 40%
Diplomacy and international relations - 15%
Economic developments - 10%
Essays
You will be given four essay questions. Two will be pre-1865 and two will be post-1865. You will be required to respond to one of the essays from each time period.
Here are some examples of essays from the 2010 AP Exam (there are many other examples on the College Board exam page):
Pre-1865
1. Analyze the political, diplomatic, and military reasons for the United States victory in the Revolutionary War. Confine your answer to the period 1775–1783.
OR
2. Analyze the ways in which controversy over the extension of slavery into western territories contributed to the coming of the Civil War. Confine your answer to the period 1845–1861.
Post-1865
1. Analyze the roles that women played in Progressive Era reforms from the1880s through 1920. Focus your essay on TWO of the following.
-Politics
-Social conditions
-Labor and working conditions
OR
2. Explain the causes and consequences of TWO of the following population movements in the United States during the period 1945–1985.
-Suburbanization
-The growth of the Sun Belt
-Immigration to the United States
You will have approximately 1 hour to answer both questions.
The Document Based Question A Document Based Question (DBQ) is an essay that requires you to write a 4 to 6 paragraph response to a prompt, using approximately 6-8 relevant primary and secondary source documents that are provided for you. You will be expected to integrate details from most of the provided document into your response.
Here is an example from the 2010 AP Exam:
In what ways did ideas and values held by Puritans influence the political, economic, and social development of the New England colonies from 1630 through the 1660s? About 10 documents were provided following the question.
Your response will have to incorporate relevant data that supports your thesis statement and provide critical analysis.
Here is a guide to answering a DBQ - keep in mind you will also need to master the art of incorporating documents into the text of your writing, which is an extremely important skill.
For more essay writing guidance and lots of sample AP Exam essay questions, visit the Essay Qs page.
Exam Scoring
5 Extremely well qualified 4 Well qualified 3 Qualified 2 Possibly qualified 1 No recommendation
The exam is graded on a scale from 1-5. A score of 3 is considered "passing" and will earn you credit at some colleges. A 5 is extremely likely to earn you credit at most colleges and a 4 is likely to receive credit.
Here is a helpful search engine for finding specific schools' policies on credit.
These numerical values correspond to a composite score that changes every year (see chart below).
Final Score
Range (2001)
Range (2002)
Range (2006)
5
114-180
115-180
106-180
4
92-113
94-114
85-105
3
74-91
76-93
68-84
2
42-73
46-75
47-67
1
0-41
0-45
0-46
Above is a table of the composite scores (out of 180) and the numerical value (1-5) it corresponds to. This composite score is calculated from your essays, DBQ, and multiple choice questions.
To calculate your AP exam score:
1. Multiply the correct number of multiple choice answers by 1.125.
2. Assign yourself between a 1-9 on your DBQ and multiply it by 4.
3. Assign yourself between a 1-9 on your first essay and multiply it by 2.75.
4. Assign yourself between a 1-9 on your second essay and multiply it by 2.75.
5. Subtract .25 points for every incorrectly answered multiple choice question (neglect unanswered questions).
6. Add up your scores and compare that number to the corresponding composite score for that test year.
Final Score
Percent (2007)
Percent (2008)
Percent (2009)
5
11.0%
8.5%
11.0%
4
19.9%
18.2%
19.3%
3
22.2%
21.4%
22.1%
2
26.1%
25.4%
25.2%
1
20.8%
26.5%
22.2%
The chart above shows the percentages of students that score each numerical value.
Tons of APUSH Exam info from the College Board site for students here - includes scoring guidelines, past essay questions, exam breakdown, etc.
Tons of AP US History Exam info from the College Board site here (teacher site)Lots of good links for quizzes and review can be found on the Useful Links page of this site
Some of the key info:
Format of the Test:
The test is approximately three hours. The time limit is exact.
80 multiple choice questions - 55 minutes
Break
3 Essay Questions: 2 Open Response and 1 DBQ - 2 hrs, 10 mins
Together, the multiple-choice and free-response sections cover political institutions, behavior, and public policy; social change, and cultural and intellectual developments; diplomacy and international relations; and economic developments.
Multiple Choice
Multiple Choice will be your biggest challenge. The questions are not asked chronologically. You will be given 5 choices for each question. Generally, there will be two answers that are completely wrong, 1 answer that is plausible and 2 answers that are very good. You must choose the best answer.
Page with help on test-taking from 2011 summer program
Guide to answering MC Qs
One example:
The paternalistic view of slavery held that?
A. slavery was a necessary evil that should be phased out as soon as was economically possible.
B. slavery was a totally unjustifiable abuse of humanity demanding immediate abolition.
C. slavery was an artifact of a more primitive past that would eventually fade out on its own.
D. slavery was necessary to keep blacks from developing their superior potential and eventually dominating the white race.
E. slavery was necessary to protect blacks from the mistreatment and abuse they would receive if they were freed.
For other examples, click here and use pages 15-24 of the course description (page 24 has the answers to the sample questions (the answer to the question above is E)).
Multiple Choice Question Breakdown:
Time Period Covered - Approximate Percentage of Test
Pre-Columbian to 1789 - 20%
1790 to 1914 - 45%
1915 to the present - 35%
*Whereas the multiple-choice section may include a few questions from the period since 1980, neither the DBQ nor any of the four essay questions in Parts B and C will deal exclusively with this period.
Material Covered - Approximate Percentage of Test
Political institutions, behavior, and public policy - 35%
Social change, and cultural and intellectual developments - 40%
Diplomacy and international relations - 15%
Economic developments - 10%
Essays
You will be given four essay questions. Two will be pre-1865 and two will be post-1865. You will be required to respond to one of the essays from each time period.
Here are some examples of essays from the 2010 AP Exam (there are many other examples on the College Board exam page):
Pre-1865
1. Analyze the political, diplomatic, and military reasons for the United States victory in the Revolutionary War. Confine your answer to the period 1775–1783.
OR
2. Analyze the ways in which controversy over the extension of slavery into western territories contributed to the coming of the Civil War. Confine your answer to the period 1845–1861.
Post-1865
1. Analyze the roles that women played in Progressive Era reforms from the1880s through 1920. Focus your essay on TWO of the following.
-Politics
-Social conditions
-Labor and working conditions
OR
2. Explain the causes and consequences of TWO of the following population movements in the United States during the period 1945–1985.
-Suburbanization
-The growth of the Sun Belt
-Immigration to the United States
You will have approximately 1 hour to answer both questions.
The Document Based Question
A Document Based Question (DBQ) is an essay that requires you to write a 4 to 6 paragraph response to a prompt, using approximately 6-8 relevant primary and secondary source documents that are provided for you. You will be expected to integrate details from most of the provided document into your response.
Here is an example from the 2010 AP Exam:
Your response will have to incorporate relevant data that supports your thesis statement and provide critical analysis.
Here is a guide to answering a DBQ - keep in mind you will also need to master the art of incorporating documents into the text of your writing, which is an extremely important skill.
For more essay writing guidance and lots of sample AP Exam essay questions, visit the Essay Qs page.
Exam Scoring
5 Extremely well qualified
4 Well qualified
3 Qualified
2 Possibly qualified
1 No recommendation
The exam is graded on a scale from 1-5. A score of 3 is considered "passing" and will earn you credit at some colleges. A 5 is extremely likely to earn you credit at most colleges and a 4 is likely to receive credit.
Here is a helpful search engine for finding specific schools' policies on credit.
These numerical values correspond to a composite score that changes every year (see chart below).
To calculate your AP exam score:
1. Multiply the correct number of multiple choice answers by 1.125.
2. Assign yourself between a 1-9 on your DBQ and multiply it by 4.
3. Assign yourself between a 1-9 on your first essay and multiply it by 2.75.
4. Assign yourself between a 1-9 on your second essay and multiply it by 2.75.
5. Subtract .25 points for every incorrectly answered multiple choice question (neglect unanswered questions).
6. Add up your scores and compare that number to the corresponding composite score for that test year.